


The Death of a Marriage

by Current521



Series: Starkid Writes [23]
Category: The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals - Team StarKid
Genre: F/M, Guys and Dolls inspired, starkid writes, starkid writes discord
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-20
Updated: 2020-01-20
Packaged: 2021-02-27 11:13:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,271
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22336102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Current521/pseuds/Current521
Summary: Charlotte wishes hers and Sam's marriage had gone differently. She talks to Ted about it.
Relationships: Charlotte/Ted (The Guy Who Didn't Like Musicals)
Series: Starkid Writes [23]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1462579
Comments: 2
Kudos: 22





	The Death of a Marriage

**Author's Note:**

> One of the prompts for this week was "musicals" and this was inspired by a range of song from Guys and Dolls, so it counts. Also, title stolen from Death of a Salesman, so it counts even more.

It was Saturday morning, and Charlotte was out with her good friend Heather for breakfast. "I just wish things were different." They were talking about Sam.

"I know." Heather smiled. "Tell me."

"I just… It's like I get sick? It's been fourteen years, and I still don't know if he even wants me to be happy. I wish this meant something." She held up her left hand, showing off her wedding ring. "He barely wears his. We haven't had a honeymoon yet, we had to put it off because of money, and then it never happened. First it was a year, then two, now it's been fourteen…"

"Charlotte?" Heather was still smiling. "What would you do differently?"

"I don't know…" She thought about it. "I would've made it clearer what I wanted from the beginning. You know, you never know what you get in a marriage, but maybe if I'd told him that I wanted that honeymoon, that I'd rather postpone the whole thing than split. Make him realise that this town is not a good place for me. Talk to him about moving to the countryside, have a life out there."

"Then go do that." Heather smiled. "I gotta head out. You gotta go talk to Sam."

So that's what she did; he was home. "Sam, there's something we need to talk about."

"What is it?" He was on the couch. "Come sit down."

"Alright." She sat. "I was thinking, you know… I've always wanted to live in the countryside, and this town isn't good for me, isn't good for us. Wouldn't it be nice if we moved, say, just to the other side of Clyvesdale? Get a townhouse in a suburb, or even outside of town. I love you, and I'd love to just have a nice place to tend to and not this town."

"You know we can't." He wasn't paying attention to her. "I wouldn't get a job."

"Well, don't you think I dislike not being able to get a proper job here too? I love you, but it's been fourteen years, and I think it's time."

"I have work." He got off the couch.

"Don't lie to me." She looked at him. "I know you're off today. You keep doing this, I try to bring up anything and you leave. Don't you think I'm tired too? Don't you think I hate fighting too?"

"I love you." Sam took her hands. "Go ahead and be mad at me, but this is best. I'm staying because I love you and I want to provide for you."

"So you're not going to see her?" Charlotte dropped his hands. "I love you, but this won't stand. I'll leave, I need to see a friend."

"Charlotte! Charlotte!"

She ignored him and drove to Ted's place. "Hi Ted," she said when he opened. "Can I come in? I would love to talk."

"Sure." Ted let her in. "What's up?"

"It's just Sam." She sighed and hung up her jacket. "He's being difficult. I keep asking him to move, go somewhere better, but he refuses."

"Come sit." Ted led her to the couch. "Look, you know what I think of Sam, I think he's a manipulative scumbag. But if he makes you happy… Then that's good. I want you to be happy, as your friend. But I don't think he makes you happy."

"I know." She sighed. "I love him, and he loves me, though. Isn't that enough?"

"I don't know." Ted smiled. "I don't know much about love. But I know this isn't what happiness looks like, and I think love is supposed to make you happy. So why do you keep saying you and Sam love each other, if you aren't happy?"

"I just… I know. We love each other, I know it. It's been fourteen years of marriage, and I always knew… Oh it's silly."

"Tell me." He took her hand.

She smiled, but she took his hand. "I always knew I'd know. I used to say, I'll know the moment I meet my true love, by his smile and his voice, and it was Sam. I always knew."

"Here's what I know." He squeezed her hand. "I know that that's bullshit, because you can't just know. Love isn't rational. And I know that if you meet the love of your life, so often, you won't know until years later, and they might be married to someone else." He smiled. "So all you can do is give them advice. Love is like that, not knowing just by imagining it. And love changes, disappears. Maybe you and Sam loved each other once, but know you don't. And that's alright."

"Ted…" She looked up at him. He was still smiling. "Are you trying to say that you love me?"

"I suppose." His smile dropped. "Look, I'm not a good person, I drink too much, I hook up with people who are married too often, or people I don't care about, and I normally hate telling people that I do this, because that's terrible, and they'll hate me, and my friend group is limited enough as is. But you… You I want to tell. I want to tell you everything. Including that I think you should leave Sam."

It took a few seconds of them just staring at each other in silence after that. Then Ted leaned in to kiss her, and instead of pushing him away like she should, she kissed him and pulled him closer.

"How's that?" she asked.

"This is good." Ted kissed her again. "This is very good. Are you alright?"

"Am I alright?" Charlotte smiled, half laughing. "I don't think I could be better, not really. This is… Well. Sam will be… Sam will never know. No one will ever know. I'm just… Happy. Here, now, with you."

"Are you sure you won't leave him for me?" Ted's smile turned into a smirk.

She lightly slapped his arm. "I knew I'd crack the moment I came here," she admitted. "You're not subtle about your crush."

"Oh, leave me be." He laughed and kissed her again. "I'm glad you came."

"Me too." She was going to say more, but was interrupted by the doorbell.

It was Sam; he walked in without waiting for them to answer. Walked into the living room to see Charlotte and Ted, hand in hand, Charlotte's bun coming undone and both of them breathless. "Aha." He looked back and forth between them. "I should've expected this. Why don't you get a house in the country with him, huh? I should've known you were treating other guys like this too, someone like you could never get enough."

Charlotte was frozen in shock, so Ted was the one to reply. "Well, she was asking me how to make you move to the country with her, actually."

"Sure." Sam shook his head. "If you were any kind of wife, you wouldn't be flirting with other guys." He spun on his heel and left without another word.

"Sam." She was barely whispering. "Sam?" Slightly louder. "I need to go after him, I need to explain, I need to—"

"Charlotte, wait." Ted took her hand. "Please. I… I love you. Just stay; he doesn't deserve you."

"I love you too, I just—" She stopped herself. "I love you too." She sighed. "I don't know why. It's a bad idea, I've never… What is this?"

"I think this is what love is supposed to look like." Ted smiled. "I wouldn't know. I've never been in love before."

"I thought I had." Charlotte kissed him. "Will you show me what I missed?"

**Author's Note:**

> Songs in order of appearance:  
> Adelaide's Lament  
> Marry the Man Today  
> Bushel and a Peck  
> Sue Me  
> Adelaide's Second Lament  
> More I Cannot Wish You  
> I'll Know  
> My Time of Day  
> If I Were a Bell  
> Luck Be a Lady  
> I've Never Been In Love Before


End file.
